


A Pack of Devildogs

by Casey_Wolfe



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Established Relationship (side pairings), Friendship, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Rare Pairings, Romance, Shapeshifting, Werewolf!Brad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-27 12:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8401288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: Nate had no idea what he was getting himself into when he agreed to take a command position in First Recon, where the werewolves outnumbered the humans.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this happened… I hate you all for encouraging this. It wasn’t the WHOLE mini-series like I did with BoB, but really I started at the point that made me want to do this story in the first place. And kindda skimming through the first few episodes, well, I didn’t see all that much I wanted to change or comment on, so, here you have it. This starts towards the beginning of Ep 4 (Combat Jack) and diverges from there.

“I can’t have people questioning the orders of a superior officer.”  If Godfather could have barked it, he would have.  As it was, the man was staring down Nate as though it were his fault.  “And if you have a performance complaint regarding subordinates,” he snapped at Schwetje, “that has to go through the proper channels.”

“Sir,” Patterson spoke up, “if I may?”  Godfather nodded.  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was Fick that stopped a danger close artillery strike near his men.”

“That was the incident I’m referring to, yes.”

Patterson cut his gaze over to Nate and smirked.  Nate’s brows furrowed together, wondering what the Alpha werewolf was up to.

“Well then,” Patterson continued, “I don’t understand why a reprimand, and a public one at that, is being issued.”  Now _everyone_ was looking at Patterson.  “Fick’s Bravo Company’s Alpha.”

Nate froze.  He was no such thing.  For one he was human.  For another thing, Brad was their Alpha wolf over in Bravo, while Patterson took care of their sister company - aptly named Alpha.

“Is that so?”  Godfather looked to Nate for confirmation but when Nate opened his mouth, Patterson talked right over him.

“He is.  Which means he has full domain over all Bravo werewolves.  And he also has the right to question orders as it relates to his wolves.”  They all knew the rules.  Bringing werewolves into the military fold meant a lot of them.

“But that’s not-”

Patterson’s eyes cut to Schwetje - or Encino Man as the men called him - effectively shutting him up.  “You were endangering the pack.  Fick has the right and the _responsibility_ to act.”  He looked back to Godfather.  “Furthermore, skuttlebutt says the complaint against Fick also includes allowing his men to question these same orders?”

“It does,” Godfather confirmed.

“And were these wolves?”

Nate huffed air from his nose, a smirk coming to his face.  At least now he knew what Patterson planned.  “They were,” Nate confirmed for himself.  Lovell and Doc were the pair to put down Encino Man’s ridiculous idea, and they were both werewolves.

“Acting in defense of their Alpha is also not a punishable offense.  Nor is Fick required to _restrain them_ from doing so.”

“They were all out of line!” Griego shot back.  “They need to-”

The second Griego took a step towards Patterson, Barrett swept in between them and snarled, teeth barred.  Patterson smirked, putting his hand on his mate’s arm and pressing gently.  “My point exactly Gunny.”  His smile was anything but friendly.  “You don’t threaten a wolf’s Alpha.”

Godfather was working his jaw back and forth.  “Alpha Patterson is right.”  He didn’t have any choice but to agree.  Still, Nate could admit it was satisfying to see Bravo’s CO and his pet Gunny sweat.  “Alpha Fick holds final say over the Bravo wolves, which means he can overstep fellow officers if he needs to.”

“Sir?” Schwetje attempted.

“The matter’s settled.”  Godfather cleared his throat, moving on to the rest of what the officers were there to discuss.

Once the meeting was over, Nate watched Schwetje walk off in something of a daze, his Gunny following in a tiff.  McGraw - who the boys had taken to calling Captain America - appeared practically terrified of Nate then, rushing off back towards Bravo-3.  “You know,” Godfather spoke, drawing his attention, “it might have been easier if you had informed Battalion of your position with the wolves.”

“Sorry, sir,” Nate replied quickly.  “It’s a new thing.”

Godfather nodded.  It wasn’t as though he could say anything about it.  Alpha positions among a company could change at any given moment.  They weren’t exactly required to inform anyone up the chain of it either, even though it was considered good protocol.  But it was a grey area in the rules for certain.

Nate hurried off then, Mike at his side, to catch up with Patterson and Barrett.  “Alphas,” Nate spoke up, drawing their attention.  “Captain, I don’t understand.  Why did you lie to Godfather?”

“I didn’t.”  Patterson smirked.

“But I’m not Bravo’s Alpha.  Brad is.”

It was Barrett that replied, “It used to be.  Somewhere along the way, you became theirs Nate.”

“But I’m human.”

“Doesn’t matter.  You should know that.”

Patterson added, “It’s really not surprising.  Wolves often look up the chain for an officer they can call Alpha.  It protects them better in the long run than an NCO could, even a wolf as strong as Colbert.  Given their options, I think it’s pretty obvious why the wolves would latch on to you.”

“You understand us, Nate,” Barrett said with a grin.  “Don’t sell yourself so short.”

Nate’s brows furrowed, watching the mated pair walk off.  “I don’t know about that,” he muttered in regards to knowing about wolves.  He sure thought he did, but…  “Wouldn’t they have _said_ something?” he asked Mike.  “I mean if they really see me as Alpha, wouldn’t they tell me?  How do the Alphas of our sister company know before I do?”

Mike shrugged.  “Maybe it’s just an observation, Nate.  They see you becoming Bravo’s Alpha but they ain’t made it official yet.”

Nate thought it over and nodded.  That was certainly a possibility.  It wasn’t as though his men had gotten much in the way of rest since the invasion started.  Here at the airfield would really be the first time.  Perhaps they would talk about it and tell him?  Hell, did they really even want a human as an Alpha like Patterson and Barrett seemed to think?

“I should go talk to Brad.”  Nate wanted this settled.

* * *

“Brad,” Nate snapped, finding the werewolf was still under the humvee.  He was pretty sure Brad had been there since that whole business with the kids being hit the previous day.

“Sir?”  Brad poked his head out, brows lowered.

“I need to speak with you.”  Brad glanced back under the humvee and Nate grunted, “Not under the damn humvee either.”

Brad looked really confused then.  He wasn’t used to Nate speaking that way, at least to him, so Nate understood.  At the moment though he didn’t really care.  Brad crawled out and followed away from the vehicles.

“This far enough?” Nate inquired.

Brad looked around, noting the position of all the wolves no doubt, and nodding.  “There’s enough activity to mask… whatever this is about.”

“It’s about why Alpha Patterson just told Godfather that I was Bravo’s Alpha.”

Brad’s eyes widened and he took a step back.  “He did what?”

“I thought it was a ploy to save my ass.  But he insisted that you all saw me as Alpha.”  Nate crossed his arms.  “So I need to know if that’s the case.  And if so, why no one bothered to inform me.”

Brad frowned.  “I guess it just happened.”

Nate raised an expectant brow.

“Look, I don’t have to explain to you the way pack works.  I’ve been their Alpha, but the moment I started showing deference to you…”

It all made sense of course.  Brad had passed along power whether he meant to or not.  Still…  “I’m human,” he argued.

Brad smirked much as Barrett had.

Ignoring the look, Nate pressed, “So you didn’t realize the pack started to look to me as Alpha?”

“Sorry, sir,” Brad replied.  “Hadn’t noticed.”

Somehow Nate doubted that but he’d let it slide - at least for the time being.  “Well, I’m not about to take your position away.  I’ll use it if necessary to protect the pack, but you’re the Alpha, Brad.”

He walked away before Brad could reply, not wanting to know what it would be.  There was something Brad wasn’t telling him and it made Nate prickle with nerves.

* * *

Apparently Brad never bothered to pass on the memo.  While on watch that night with Mike, three of the team leaders made themselves known, all wolves of course - Lovell, Pappy, and Poke.

“We heard what happened with the Captain today,” Poke began.

“We wanted to apologize,” Pappy added.  “If you thought we weren’t clear about you being our Alpha an’ all.”

“And you are,” Lovell was quick to assure.  “Just as much as Brad is.”  Lovell shifted uneasily under Nate’s stare, looking away in a very submissive gesture.

Poke continued, “An’ we wanted to make sure you knew we had your back.  If Encino Man tries to fuck you over again, we’ll-”

“Hold it right there.”  Nate stood, stepping closer to them.  “Whatever happens between the Captain and myself, doesn’t concern any of you.”  He gave them a long, hard look.  “Stay out of it,” he ordered, for as much their own sake as his.

He walked off down the berm, though he stayed close enough to overhear them talking to Mike.

“Gunny, we were just trying to-”

Mike cut Poke off.  “LT doesn’t want any of this messin’ with the platoon.  He sure as hell doesn’t want anyone taking sides.”  Nate had to give Mike credit; he knew most of his feelings without ever having to say them.  “Shit’s on the Alpha and he wants it to stay that way.”

 _Did you really have to call me that?_ Nate thought.  He had no idea how to feel about any of this.

“Pack ain’t like that,” Pappy insisted.  “An’ you an’ Nate, you’ve been pack from the start.”

“None of the other officers are wolves either, sure,” Lovell added, “but you were always different.  We thought you knew that.”

“We do,” Mike confirmed because it was true.  The pack had come to treat Nate and Mike as one of them, just as they did the human enlisted men like Ray or Garza or Lilley.  It was hard not to notice it.  “That’s different than being told you’re Alpha.  Give ‘im time to adjust.”

All three of them visibly sagged a little but they murmured their agreement.  They hesitated, looking off into the shadows where they could no doubt see Nate easily.  Even so, they respected his desire for space and wandered back the way they’d come.

“Y’know,” Mike mentioned as he heard Nate approach, “whether you like it or not, I believe you’ve been adopted.”

“They should have a wolf as Alpha, Mike.  It’s not right for me to take that from them.”

Mike studied him and Nate shifted.  His Gunny always saw too damn much.  “So is it the part that you’re not a wolf, or that you might fuck up?”

Nate snorted.

Mike grinned and looked away.  “Nate, you’re a good officer.  You care ‘bout the men you lead.  Maybe that’s a fault… you carin’ too much.  But it’s a good problem to have in my opinion.”  He looked back up at Nate.  “Nothin’s changed.  If anything, look at it as an opportunity to protect the men better… protect the pack.”

Nate nodded slowly.  “Yeah…  You’re right.”

“Course I am.  Now get over here and keep me company would ya?  Gets cold when that wind blows like that.”

Nate chuckled, shaking his head as he nudged Mike’s shoulder with his knee.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

* * *

Brad glared over at Ray.  Between his conversation with Nate the day before and the false alarm with the supposed "tanks" last night, he had been jerked back to the reality of their situation.  There was no time in war for personal feelings.  Which was naturally part of his problem at the moment.

“You went and opened your big mouth.”

“Me?”  Ray waved him off.

“Then why, pray tell, have the other wolves been treating Nate as an Alpha since we stepped off?  Why do _other Alphas_ notice this?  Why is Nate coming to me asking about it?  Hmm?”

“Dude.  You act like the pack’s stupid.”

Brad glared at him again, to no effect.  Ray had been - for good or ill - pack to him for a long time.  Which meant he could read Brad like a book.  Wolves like Pappy and Kocher who had served beside him in Afghanistan were just as bad.

“Homes, you seriously need to get your shit together,” Ray continued.  “If you think Nate’s not gonna find out about-”

“Shut it, Ray,” Brad growled.  “It’s my business.”

Ray scoffed, not even phased by the wolf.  Normally admirable in a human, with Ray it was just annoying.  “Whatever you say, Fido.”

Brad had half a mind to shift and pounce the little shit.  Maybe it would scare him straight for a bit.  But Brad had far too much control for that.  They weren’t in a camp where he could just shift at will.  Battle meant no shifting unless given permission from the CO.

Smirking, Brad realized perhaps it wasn’t so bad that Nate knew he was an Alpha now.  They could override a CO’s order when it came to the wolves.  Maybe he’d go ask about some shifting time for the pack while the battalion was still stationary.

* * *

“Shifting?”  Nate hadn’t expected that when Brad said he wanted to talk.

“Only for a little while.  We don’t know when we’ll have the opportunity again and I don’t want anyone getting restless.”

It was a fair point and they hadn’t gotten any general warning in regards to moving on.  “Alright.  I don’t have a problem with it.”

Brad’s face lit up.  It was a rare enough occurrence that Nate couldn’t help but smile back.  Rather than let Nate radio though, Brad tipped his head back and howled.  Nate had studied the differences in the howls - each company having their own - and he recognized it as a simple rally cry.

Sure enough, every wolf in the company gathered around, wondering what was going on.  Brad announced with a smirk, “Time to shift, boys.”

There wasn’t a single wolf that wasn’t excited to some degree and Nate smiled as he watched them all.  It was seamless, the way they shifted from one form to the next.

Walt was a leggy grey wolf now, dancing around in circles, trying to entice the small grey wolf that was Christeson into a game.  Trombley was rather small himself, looking more coyote than wolf, sticking to the edge of the group.

Nate had learned all their wolf forms, from Kocher’s rugged timber wolf to Doc’s lean tawny frame.  Poke was, hilariously enough, a Mexican wolf, and Q-tip may have picked up his nickname for more than just his hair with the way his arctic wolf stood out from the brown earth.

They ran around each other, play fighting or racing.  Lovell shot by, followed closely by some of the Bravo-3 wolves he didn’t know as well.  Chaffin was harassing Budweiser - as though that didn’t happen enough being in the same humvee - while Stinetorf and Leon chased each other in circles.

Pappy and Rudy, a red wolf and tundra wolf respectively, started scenting immediately.  The mated pair were nothing besides professional when it was required so Nate didn’t see any harm in allowing them time together.

It was something the wolves had fought to convince military advisors of, that mated pairs could work together in combat roles.  There were a lot of hurdles to jump through, but in the end you could be certain that any mated pairs serving together were a force to be reckoned with.  Patterson and Barrett proved they could even thrive in officer positions.

Brad was the last to shift, making sure everyone else was alright before doing so.  His sleek black frame was impressive, and a stand-out among so many attractive looking wolves.  He looked up at Nate, those same blue eyes watching him.

“Go on,” Nate encouraged after a moment.  “Have fun.”  Brad, however, stubbornly refused and sat next to Nate’s feet, instead choosing to watch the goings-on.

“Well that’s a mess,” Evan commented, coming to stand at Nate’s other side.  He was looking amused despite his words.  “You weren’t kidding when you said over half the company were wolves,” he noted.  “This puts it into perspective.”

“That’s what happens when you have elite units.  Wolves tend to gravitate there.  Especially recon.  They’re built for it.”

“I can see the advantage.”

“Take Brad here.”  Nate plopped his hand between the wolf’s ears, Brad’s head sitting higher than his hip.  “Lean, mean fighting machine.  Powerful.  Silent.  Perfect for getting in and out undetected.”

Brad had his chest puffed out a little and Nate chuckled, fluffing his ears.  Brad grumbled at that, glaring up at him with no effect.

“So I hear you got named Alpha,” Evan mentioned.  “How’d that happen?”

“Beats me,” Nate replied.  “Apparently they like me.”  He smiled over at their reporter.

Evan had been nervous about being imbedded with them, especially when he learned how many wolves there would be.  Yet there he was now, having stuck through it all and riding with a majority wolf vehicle.  He probably hadn’t realized yet that he’d been adopted by the pack.

“Go get it!” Ray yelled, tossing a tennis ball into the fray.  A few wolves scrambled over each other to get after it, only to find more tennis balls flying by.

Brad groaned audibly, hanging his head.  Nate just knew he was thinking something in regards to warrior spirits and wolves not being dogs.  And there were probably a few colorful names for Ray being bounced around as well.

Despite really being two packs - each platoon having their own hierarchy - the company functioned largely as a unit.  Therefore it wasn’t strange to have both platoons mingled together in play as they were.  Nate supposed the fact Bravo-3 had all looked to Brad as an Alpha - while Kocher was his Beta - meant that those wolves would be his responsibility as well then.

It was all rather surreal.

“Lieutenant.”

Nate held back a groan.  He should have known their activity wouldn’t go unnoticed.  Nate had simply hoped it would go unchallenged after what just happened the day before.  He turned towards Encino Man and Casey Kasem, even as he chided himself for calling them such in his head.

“Sir?”

“What’s going on here?  We’re under strict orders-”

“With all due respect sir, as Alpha I decided to give the wolves time to let their energy out.  We wouldn’t want them to lose control out there in the middle of a firefight, would we?”

Schwetje looked as though he wanted to argue.  Instead he just muttered, “You have a point,” before walking away.  No doubt Griego had put him up to it, probably hissing at how Nate was overstepping.

Brad nudged Nate’s hand to draw his attention.  Brad was looking at him rather proudly, giving Nate a firm nod before trotting off to be with the other wolves.

“Well, you’ve got _his_ vote of confidence,” Evan noted.

Nate smiled softly, watching the shadowy wolf move.  “Yeah.  Guess I do.”

For whatever reason that made him feel warm inside.  Nate had wanted Brad’s trust from day one, knowing the wolves would follow but also simply desiring his respect.  Apparently, Nate had it, and he swore he wouldn’t do anything to let Brad, or the pack, down.


	2. Chapter 2

They had been pressing steadily onward.  About the most exciting thing that happened was setting up a roadblock while RTC-1 fucked up a city.  Now they found themselves with a break - at least for the time being - while LAV’s cleared an ambush waiting for them ahead.

What should have been a good chance to relax was instead turning into just another test of Brad’s patience.

He tracked down his Beta, finding he and Pappy sitting on a humvee while Pappy shaved.  Brad’s greeting was more demand.  “What’s this I hear about Casey Kasem running around in front of E3’s and 2’s calling Nate a coward?”

Pappy frowned and nodded.

Kocher sighed out a “Yeah.”

Brad growled.  “I should rip his fucking throat out.”

“Brad.”  Kocher shook his head.  His Beta was right but that didn’t mean Brad wanted to hear it.

“Alpha Fick said he didn’t want us involved,” Pappy pointed out.

“And your other damn Alpha _does_ want you involved.  We’re fucking pack.”  Brad’s lips were pulled back to display his canines - which were still sharper than average, even in this form.  “As far as I’m concerned, Encino Man and Casey Kasem belong no where near this pack, let alone dictating our movements.”

“No one’s arguing that Brad,” Kocher assured.  He slid down the windscreen of the humvee to be closer.  “But have you considered maybe Nate’s got a point?  We need to pick our battles.”

When Brad didn’t respond, Kocher leaned in and pressed his nose to the back of Brad’s jaw.  It was a wolven sign of respect.  In the military anymore, a lot of the old traditions tended to fall by the wayside.  Wolves tried to blend in with their human counterparts so much that they forgot they were _wolves_.

Well Brad didn’t forget.  His body relaxed immediately and he nuzzled a little against Kocher’s cheek.  “Thanks.”

“Anytime Alpha.”

Brad shoved him.  Kocher knew full well he prefered to keep things casual, at least between them.  Kocher’s grin had teeth.

“Pap.”  They turned to find Rudy with a cup of coffee in hand.

“Thanks Rudy.”  Pappy gave a rare smile, leaning over to press a soft kiss to Rudy’s mouth.

Rudy only smiled back before turning to them.  “Did you guys want any?  Just put on a fresh pot.”

Brad smirked.  “No thanks.”

“I’m good,” Kocher assured.

Their attention was drawn to the nearby road where some armor was returning from the ambush point, wounded men riding on top.  “Jesus,” Brad breathed.  Immediately he started looking around for Nate out of instinct, needing to be reassured he was alright.

“Alpha,” Rudy spoke, drawing his attention.  “Just tell him already.”

Brad huffed, leaving to go look for Nate.

* * *

They rode as a pack into the night, humvees flying across open desert.  It was a sight that actually made Brad smile.

He wasn’t smiling the second they found the bridge was blocked and then suddenly everyone was jammed together.  Of course that would be when all hell broke loose.

Bullets were flying all around them and in the confusion none of the vehicles were moving.  They were sitting in a kill zone.  Brad’s focus was narrowing to his scope, to the enemy all around them, to the calls of his team where they saw movement.

Then he heard Nate’s voice over the comms, pulling him back.  “All Bravo-2 wolves.  Shift.  I repeat, all Bravo-2 wolves cover on foot while I get the platoon egressed.  Everyone check your fire!”

Brad didn’t hesitate, leaping through the window and landing on the ground with paws.  Walt landed beside him and others scrambled from their vehicles.  They would have blood tonight.

* * *

“Nate!” Mike yelled as he jumped from the vehicle.

“Turn it around!  I’ll be right back!”  He yelled to Lovell’s humvee behind them to get turned around and moving.

“Alpha?”  Nate recognized the voice as Kocher’s.  Technically it was McGraw’s job to give them orders, but Nate could still handle the wolves.

He only took a moment to think it over before giving the command, “Bravo-3 wolves out.”

As Nate ran for the humvee ahead of him, wolves darted past into the fray.  He found that Rudy hadn’t shifted to go with the rest of them but being a driver with a team leader - and mate - down, it was probably best he had stayed put.  Nate passed instructions to him on how to back the humvee up and egress.

Lilley’s vehicle was next and then finally he made it to Ray who was all alone at the front of the group with just the reporter to speak of.  “You’re clear Ray, go!” Nate ordered.  Over the comms he ordered, “Everyone break past Bravo-3!  Go, go!”

Nate dashed for his waiting vehicle, hopping up on the running board as he looked out into the night where the pack was.  Without comms there wasn’t much choice.  They would laugh at him later but Nate threw his head back and howled.  He couldn’t mimic the proper sounds.  It was likely garbled and meaningless but the wolves would get the message nonetheless.

Sure enough, as they peeled away, the shadows of wolves popped up onto the road and ran after the retreating humvees, a large black wolf in the lead.

* * *

“Is everyone alright?” Nate demanded when he jumped from the truck.  The wolves all shifted, confirming they were indeed alright and Nate felt relief flood him.  That was when he remembered.  “Pappy.”

He jogged over to Rudy’s humvee, Doc at his heels.

“He’s alright,” Rudy assured, seemingly needing to hear it himself as well.  “But it’s his foot.”

Nate nodded, watching as Pappy leaned heavily on his mate while Doc checked the wound.  Rudy pressed a kiss to Pappy’s temple, holding him tight.  Something in Nate’s chest ached.

“Sir?”  Nate turned to find Brad standing there.  “Should we relocate to our original positions down the road?”

Nate looked around them.  “I think we’re pretty safe here.  Let’s get the victors off the road and have everyone on full watch while we wait on orders.”

Brad gave him a slight smile.  “Yes sir.”  Brad glanced over at Pappy a moment, something darkening his gaze momentarily before he went off.

* * *

Pappy had to be casevaced.  It wasn’t a life-threatening wound - not yet, as it could always turn septic and cost him his foot - but it made him unable to continue on mission.  It looked like the old wolf was going to have to sit the rest of this one out.

Kocher stepped up to Brad’s side, surveying the armor rolling past that was assaulting the bridge - again - on their behalf.  “This is crazy,” his Beta mentioned.

“You can say that again.”

“Glad Pappy’s gonna be alright.”

“Yeah…  We got lucky back there.  Real lucky.”  Brad’s ears zeroed in on where Nate and Doc were talking with Q-tip and Christeson.  “Be right back.”

“I don’t wanna hear it if he’s combat ineffective,” Nate stated.

“Took an inch of shrapnel out of his thigh,” Doc supplied.

“He turnicated himself Alpha,” Christeson said.  “Got back up on his weapon and returned fire.”

“And you didn’t shift with the others,” Nate baited.

“No sir.  I had to cover our man down.”

Nate’s lips twitched into a threatened smile.  “Wouldn’t expect anything less Private.”  He looked more seriously at Q-tip though, not seeming to notice Brad hovering right behind him.  “You, I’m not so sure about.”

“He’s fine,” Brad spoke up, startling Nate.

“He can fight,” Doc agreed.  “Can’t shift ‘til that wound heals though.”

Nate nodded.  “If Doc’s willing to clear you, you can stay.”

Q-tip grinned.  “Thank you Alpha.”

“ _No shifting_ until Doc says so.”  Said wolf grinned with teeth.  “Brad?”  Nate tipped his head to the side and Brad followed him to the side of the command victor where they had a little privacy.

When Nate didn’t say anything, Brad asked, “Are they still sending us over that bridge when the LAV’s are done?”

“Yeah.  Bravo-3 will be on point this time.”  Again, Nate didn’t offer anything more.

“Nate?”  Brad reached out for him and Nate crumbled in on himself.

“Damnit,” he hissed, throat tightening around the word.  Brad grabbed his bicep.  “I almost lost all of you tonight.”  Brad tried to shush him, tried to bring him to his arms, but Nate only curled more in on himself.  Instead, Brad eased him to the ground, finally able to get his arms around him.

“We’re fine Nate.  We’re all fine.  We’re here.”  Brad swallowed.  “I’m here.”

Nate’s hands grasped the back of Brad’s gear.

“Shh,” Brad rocked him a little, nose going into the crock of Nate’s neck.

“I’m not cut out for this.”  Nate pulled away before Brad could get more than a brief inhale of his scent.  Nate’s eyes were brimmed with tears and Brad’s chest ached.  “I can’t-”

“You’re not Alpha just because you’re the only competent officer.”  Brad was firm, needing Nate to understand.  He couldn’t have Nate losing faith in himself.  “You’re incredibly intelligent.  You know strategy.  And most importantly you know your men.  You know what we’re capable of and you know how to use that to our advantage.”

Nate was looking about ready to argue.

“We trust you,” Brad cut him off.  “Do you think any of us would have shifted without question out there if we didn’t?  To go out on foot, at night, to face an unknown force armed with AK’s and RPG’s?”  Brad shook his head.  “We never had a doubt.  So don’t you dare doubt yourself either.”

Nate opened his mouth but then closed it and shook his head.  He bit his lip, looking off to where they could still make out the flash of rounds hurtling towards the enemy.  “I just…”  Nate sighed, shaking his head again.

“What do you need Nate?” Brad asked, only wanting to help.

Nate’s features pinched a moment.  “Just… keep me company awhile?”

Brad smiled softly.  “Yeah.  I can do that.”

Brad sat with his back against one of the tires, pulling Nate to him.  Nate snuggled against his side, head resting on Brad’s shoulder when Brad wrapped an arm around him.  Brad removed Nate’s helmet with his free hand, nose falling into Nate’s hair.  Nate let out a sigh, relaxing further against Brad.

“Thank you,” Nate murmured.

Brad didn’t reply.  In honesty he couldn’t.  His wolf was too preoccupied with feelings Brad had been attempting to keep at bay.  For the time being though, Brad would let himself indulge, pulling Nate in just a little tighter.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn’t until the next day, after another failed attempt to cross the bridge into Muwaffigiyah, they took an alternate route into the town.  From there they made the push towards Al Kut.

Of course morale was pushed low and Nate was unsure what to do about it.  He was feeling extremely protective of his men.  It wasn’t like after that first firefight where he’d gone around all the battle-high marines to check that everyone was indeed alright, worry in the pit of his stomach.  No, this was a different kind of pain.

“Thanks Mike.  You’re a fucking nag,” Nate replied to his Gunny’s long ramble.  Mike was right of course, and the smirk on his face said he knew Nate’s response was good-natured.

They weren’t going into Al Kut and Godfather was talking about getting them missions en route to Baghdad.  For the time being though, they had no set goal.  Which meant there was more time for the pack to become restless, more time for the men to sink into the darkness of the mind.  It didn’t help that half of them were also sick - throwing up, and having the runs if they _did_ manage to keep anything down.

Nate made the rounds, stopping with each team and talking to them.  He didn’t bother trying to pump them up with bullshit moto talk.  Instead he just tried to take their minds off everything.  They seemed to perk up a little after he moved on to the next group, so something must have been working.

By the time he made it to Brad’s team though, Nate felt wiped out.  He needed to keep on a brave face for Walt, if no one else, but the young wolf saw right through it.  “Sit down,” Walt scolded, making room in the shade.  “You don’t look real well.”

“I’m alright,” Nate assured.  “Just tired.”

“Have you slept?”

Nate’s lips ticked up at the corners.  “Aren’t I supposed to be asking you that?”

Walt let out a little laugh before sobering, looking away.  “Can’t sleep.  Keep thinkin’ about it.”  The “it” being the roadblock no doubt.  There was no point in reminding Walt that shooting that civilian had been nothing more than a terrible accident.  He was cleared of blame but it wouldn’t matter in the end.

Instead, Nate threw an arm around him and tugged him in much as Brad had done for him that night after the ambush.  Nate had been avoiding his own thoughts too, so he wouldn’t begrudge Walt.  Although _his_ thoughts weren’t quite so grim, rather wondering what these feelings were that seemed to burrow deep into every corner of him and settle in.  The scary - or rather not-so-scary - part was that they all seemed to point to Brad.

Walt’s nose nuzzled at the back of his jaw and Nate felt the wolf inhale deeply.  “Thanks Alpha,” he murmured.  Nate brought his fingers up to run through Walt’s hair.  The movement settled Walt even further, a happy sigh escaping his lips.

It was helpful that officers were required special training on how to deal with wolves - not that you’d know it with the way some of them were still so clueless on the matter.  At least Nate was able to take advantage of it though, knowing how to touch the wolves to calm them, or to bond, how to carry himself, how to look at them, all things that made a difference when dealing with them.

By the time Brad came around the humvee - having traded out his watch with Ray - Walt was shifted into his wolf form, laid on his back with Nate rubbing his belly.  “You’re ridiculous,” Brad muttered to Walt, plopping down at Nate’s other side with a sigh.

Nate laughed, his reply coming quick-fire, “Do you want belly rubs too?”  Brad scoffed but he was grinning.

That was when they heard the click of a camera, all three looking to find Evan standing a short distance off.  He grinned as he lowered the camera.  “That was too perfect to pass up.”

Nate was laughing again while Brad mock-scowled.  Walt barked his own opinion of the matter.  By the way Walt’s tail thumped against the ground and his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, Nate figured he was amused too.

“Where’ve you been hiding?” Brad asked, ignoring everyone else’s good mood.

Evan sat across from them, still in the shade of the humvee.  “Going around getting pictures, talking to some of the guys in Bravo-3.”  He shrugged.

“I should probably go talk to Kocher actually,” Nate noted.  He wanted to get a better idea of their status, especially healthwise, and Nate didn’t particular trust McGraw.  If at all possible, he seemed even more unstable these days.

“They’re all fine,” Brad assured.  His head was resting back against the humvee, his eyes closed, the picture of perfect calm.

“All the same,” Nate replied, “an Alpha’s gotta check for himself, right?”

That got him a slight smirk.

Nate excused himself - though it was hard with Walt whining at him like that - acknowledging Brad’s parting words of “Get some rest sir” with an “Uh huh” and a wave the wolf couldn’t see.  Given what happened later that night, perhaps he should have taken Brad’s advice.

* * *

He was woken by his watch, grumbling at the annoying beeping.  It wasn’t much sleep but it was something.  “Nate?” Mike asked groggily from the grave next to his.

“Go back to sleep Mike.  I’m gonna make the rounds.”

There was some more incoherent grumbling as Mike drifted back off.

When Nate went to check Lovell’s team first though, he found no one there.  He immediately rerouted to Rudy’s team, approaching the man and asking after them.  “They’re out there,” Rudy replied with an incline of his head, “inspecting a T-72.”

“A tank?”  Nate felt a bubble of panic thinking that the men had seen action while he was busy sleeping.  “Where?”

“The swamp,” Rudy replied dryly.  “The blown-out one,” he clarified.

“What?!”  Nate’s brows furrowed.  “What the hell are they doing out the-”

The idiot known as Casey Kasem spoke up, Nate having completely ignored his presence on purpose.  “They’re covering your ass.”

Nate’s gaze narrowed on him.  “What the fuck is going on here?”

Rudy took a step back out of Nate’s line of sight but he knew the wolf was there all the same, watching, waiting.

“How would it look-?”

“I’ll tell you what it looks like right now,” Nate interrupted.  “It resembles an incompetent moron climbing up the asshole of his company commander by inventing a bullshit mission.”

There was rumbling from the wolves somewhere to the side of Nate, even as sick as they were, hunkered in their graves.  Clearly they were all still paying attention.

Griego had the nerve to scoff.  “I woke you forty mikes ago to confirm the order.”

“You woke me?”  Nate asked skeptically.  “I haven’t been to sleep in thirty-six hours.  I have no recollection of you waking m-”  Nate cut himself off as he realized what had happened.  He huffed.  “I thought I was dreaming.”

There was movement off somewhere behind him but Nate ignored it.  He stepped up in Griego's space and growled, “Get the fuck out of here.”  Grumbles rose behind him, a clear intent behind them.  “And do not _ever again_ mess with my men.”

“Nate-”

Nate snarled, stepping right into Griego’s face who had nowhere else to go, back hitting the humvee.  “You can fuck with me all you want but do not, I repeat, _do not fuck with my pack._ ”

Griego’s eyes cut to the side where the wolves were no doubt itching for a fight.  In perhaps the first smart move since the invasion began, he side-stepped and hurried off into the night.  Nate’s eyes followed him with a scowl plastered on his face, a snarl still playing on his lips.

Movement caught his eye and Nate looked over to find Doc standing there, apparently having caught at least the tail end because he was grinning in that feral way of his.  Though he wasn’t smiling when Lovell’s team started to trudge by.  Stinetorf ended up vomiting, stumbling to his knees.  Nate’s heart ached for the wolf - for all of them.

Doc’s face was back to stone as he watched Lovell haul his gunner up and push him onward.  None of Team 3 would look at Nate.

When Doc approached, it was Chaffin that piped up from his grave, “Man did you see that shit?”

Doc’s lips ticked up.  “Enough of it.”  He tossed his helmet aside, gazing over at Nate.

“Are they going to be alright?” Nate asked of Lovell’s team.

“As much as they can be.”  Doc paused.  “I have a feeling they won’t have to worry about any more surprise patrols at least.”

Nate huffed air through his nose.

Doc moved into his space, watching him carefully.  Rather than say anything further, Doc leaned in and pressed his nose to the back of Nate’s jaw.  Being human, Nate wasn’t sure how he was so relieved by the gesture, but he pressed back with a little nuzzle at Doc’s cheek nonetheless.

When Doc moved away, he had that same half-smirk on his face, going to check on the men.  Chaffin and Manimal were talking away excitedly about what they’d just seen.  Budweiser meanwhile moaned - probably the worst out of the team - sinking back into his grave where he’d been sitting poised during the stand-off.  Rudy was sitting on a crate in the back of their cammy-netting set-up, watching Nate like a hawk.  His nod of approval meant a lot, especially since Nate had to rely on him as a TL with Pappy gone.

Nate didn’t say a word, simply moved off back down the line to continue his check on the men - _his_ men, his _pack_.

* * *

Nate probably hadn’t expected the news to reach Brad’s ears before Nate even made it up to Team 1.  Then again, Nate also hadn’t realized yet that wolves were worse gossips than your average marine - which was already perhaps worse than a sewing circle.  Christeson had gone down the line, in awe, passing the word of the confrontation between Nate and Casey Kasem which Christeson had first hand accounts of from Chaffin.

That meant when Nate showed up, Ray’s greeting was “Damn LT.  You sure know how to throw down the gauntlet, don’t ya?”

Nate rose a brow, looking over to Brad for translation.  “Casey Kasem.”

“Ah.”  The color on Nate’s cheeks wouldn’t have been noticeable to Ray but Brad was able to make it out.

Brad was overcome by the urge to scent, to praise, to, well, everything.  It also meant he knew that he couldn’t continue to put this thing off - especially after what Nate had just done for them, for the pack.  Brad owed it to him.

“Sir, can I talk to you in private a moment?”  Nate agreed easily, following him off away from the rest of the pack into a semi-secluded area behind a bunch of supply crates.

“Nate…  You remember what I said after the bridge assault?”

“I do,” Nate confirmed.

Brad wet his lips.  “Well I wasn’t completely honest about everything.”

Nate’s brows lowered in confusion.

“I left out a reason that the pack look to you as Alpha.”

When Brad hesitated, Nate prompted, “Which would be?”

Brad sighed, deciding to just come out with it.  “It’s because some inbred moron by the name of Ray Person decided to go blab to every wolf in the company that you’re my mate.”

Brad almost didn’t want to look but he made himself.  Nate was understandably stunned by the confession.  He opened his mouth a couple times to say something, each time cutting himself off.  What ended up coming out was, “We’re mates?”

Brad nodded, a lump in his throat.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Brad worked his jaw.  “Preparing for an invasion isn’t exactly an appropriate time.”

“Brad,” Nate pressed, stepping closer.  It was a gentle scolding, Nate’s expression a plea for answers.

“You had more important things to worry about than-”

“What’s more important than this?”  Nate was stunned but it seemed it was more the lack of information rather than the fact they were mates and Brad wasn’t really sure what to do with that.

“I’m sorry.”  It fell from Brad’s mouth in a whisper before he could stop it.  He wasn’t sure what else to say.

Nate looked at him for a long moment before moving.  He wrapped his arms around Brad’s shoulders, leaning against him as Nate was forced to roll up onto his toes.  The breath left Brad’s lungs, seemingly frozen in time.

Finally Brad took in air, letting it out again in a nervous laugh.  He would deny his arms shook as he slid them around Nate’s waist.  Nate gave him a squeeze in response, nose brushing across Brad’s cheek.  The slight touch sent a shiver down Brad’s spine.

Brad held tight, nose burying into the curve of Nate’s neck.  When Nate let out a little gasp of surprise, Brad spoke, breath caressing skin, “You feel it?”

“I’ve _been_ feeling it.”  Nate’s voice was soft, part awe, part disbelief.  There was a short laugh, Nate planting himself back on his feet.  “That’s what I’ve been feeling.  This… draw.  All the emotions.  Even the pull to the pack…”  He laughed again, shaking his head.

Bright eyes flicked up to meet his and Brad smiled softly.  “Yeah.”

What more could he say?  Science had proven that even humans could feel mate bonds to varying degrees.  Apparently Nate had become aware of it at some point or other but hadn’t been able to place it.  Mating would make Nate more sensitive to that bond, as well as that of pack.

Despite Brad desiring nothing less, he knew that would all have to wait.  “I know we can’t jeopardize the mission by doing anything about it now.  But I thought you should know about it.”

Nate’s smile was warm and sweet.  “Brad, in case you missed it, war’s over.”

“ _Nate_.”

Not that the half-hearted warning stopped the man.  Nate pressed against him, eyes sparkling in the moonlight.  “Forget where we are and what we’re doing.  What do you want?”

Brad would have called him on not being fair, but he was already reaching out for Nate again.  His hands rested on Nate’s hips.  “You,” was the simple answer.

“Then take me.”

Brad stared at him.  “Can you really say that’s what you want?”  As far as he knew, Nate had never shown any sign of being interested in him.

Nate laughed.  “Brad, I really hate to agree with Ray here but-”

“If you’re going to start agreeing with that amoeba, we’re really going to have to talk about your sanity.”

Nate rolled his eyes.  “I was going to say you’re rather thick when it comes to noticing someone looking at you.”

“Laugh it up Fick.”  And Nate did.  Not as though Brad could stop himself from grinning.  “So you were really watching me?”

Laughter subsiding, Nate’s features gentled.  “In case the part about being drawn to you was confusing, yes Brad, I have been.”  Nate’s lips drew into a smile.  “At least now it makes sense.”

“Yeah,” Brad replied softly, pulling Nate in.  “It does.”

Brad’s chin rested on top of Nate’s head when he settled it against Brad’s chest.  The pair stood there, everything laid out in the open.  Now there was just the question of what to do about it.

Nate, apparently sensing Brad’s apprehensive, tipped his head back to brush his lips across Brad’s.  Brad sucked in a surprised breath, both of them lingering, sharing the same air.

“Think it over,” Nate murmured, lips barely touching.  Reluctantly, Brad let him go as Nate pulled away.  “We should get back.”

“Yeah.”  Brad’s voice broke and he cleared it.  “Alright.”

As Nate started to walk away though, Brad snagged his wrist, tugging him back in.  Nate’s startled cry was cut off by a kiss.  This one was hot and filled with the fire Brad had desperately tried to hold inside.  He drank in every bit of Nate he could, tongue brushing along his mouth.

That time when they parted, their breaths came more rapidly, staring into each other’s eyes.  Once again the moment was frozen, something of a static charge in the air.

“You don’t make this easy, do you?” Brad inquired.

Nate let out a startled laugh, backing away.  “ _Me?_  Look in the mirror.”  He shook his head, turning to walk off.  “Unbelievable.”

Brad was grinning from ear to ear when he returned to the humvee, and not even Ray being his usual self made it falter.


	4. Chapter 4

They were set up in a POG camp outside of Baghdad.  Nate was leaning next to Brad at the front of his humvee.  Their helmets and gear were all sitting in their vehicles.  They didn’t need them here, not in the middle of this cluster fuck.  Meanwhile, in the distance, explosions signaled the attack on the city.

“Well that’s it then,” Brad sighed.  “We won’t be part of the show in Baghdad.”

“Yeah.”  They were pressed along their sides, just enjoying each other’s presence.  “Looks that way.”

Brad grumbled, shifting closer if possible.  “I just wanted to get _one_ real recon mission in this war.”  He looked over at Nate.  “Putting us in these?  It’s an affront to my warrior spirit.”

Nate smirked momentarily, attempting not to laugh.

Brad sent him a look.  “I’m a hunter.”

“Well, maybe I’ll have to send the pack on some… _hunt_ for, I dunno, real food.”

Brad shook his head, smiling all the same.

“We got the pack out alive,” Nate continued, sobering.  “Gotta tell ya, I’m glad this is over.”

There was a pause before Brad slipped his arm around Nate, giving him a tug.  “So does that mean we can get mated then?”

Nate slapped the back of his hand on Brad’s stomach and chastised, “I was the one that asked _you_ if you recall.”

“I know.  And now _I’m_ asking.”

Nate craned his neck back, smiling up at Brad.  “You already know the answer’s yes.”

Brad smiled in turn, leaning down to kiss him softly.  “Alright.  How about we let the pack know tomorrow?”  His smile grew as he added, “They’re gonna be really excited.”

“First chance we get,” Nate agreed, snuggling back up to Brad as they watched the lightshow in the distance.

It was almost romantic.

* * *

The pack was indeed over the moon about the announcement.  There was talk of having the mating later that day or the next.

As it turned out though, Godfather did find them another mission, busting North and covering the flank of the men in Baghdad.  The pack was thrilled about the opportunity to keep fighting.  That was until Delta Company found them - the reservists.

Not even the order that they were out of their MOPP suits was enough to sway them.

Bravo was set up right next to headquarters, which meant right next to the Delta humvee that had brought their CO up for a meeting with Godfather.  The rest of the men were still in the humvee though, and apparently they thought it smart to make lewd comments about Nate as he changed nearby.

He would have just ignored it.  He’d been listening to that sort of talk long before he ever entered the military - then it just got worse.  But the pack, well, they had another opinion.

It started with Doc, which ended up being Q-tip, Chaffin, Budweiser, Poke, and Leon.  They were all standing there growling, and it only got worse when the Delta morons didn’t shut up.  More of the pack came forward, Doc’s voice the loudest among them about shutting their fucking mouths.

Nate barked at them to stand down once he was dressed, coming to the front.  “Just fucking forget it.”  He reached out and put a hand on Doc’s shoulder, backing him up.

That was when the Delta CO returned, a sneer in his voice as he asked, “Who’s even in charge of these mutts?”

Nate wasn’t sure what happened.  He whirled around, nailing the asshole right in the jaw with his fist.  “I’m the Alpha here.  And you’ll shut your fucking mouths or I’ll let my wolves start the hunt early.”  His grin had teeth.  “They’re always hungry.”

There were whoops and rumbles and snarls behind him as the pack there agreed.  Needless to say the Delta boys took off in a rush and Nate only raised a shoulder to Schwetje as he stared at Nate with wide-eyes.

His men, well, they were pumped to go now.  “You’re something else Alpha,” Doc mentioned in amusement.

“You can say that again,” Kocher chuckled, having jogged over from Bravo-3 when all the commotion started.

“Come on,” Nate prodded, though he was smiling.  “Let’s get ready to roll out.”

He caught Brad’s eye across the field, returning his smile.  “We’re Oscar Mike!” Nate ordered, Brad nodding back, ready to get into the fray.

* * *

Brad was _fuming._ He wasn’t going to let anyone get away with taking away his Beta.  He was on his way to find Nate, see if he wanted to go with him to Request Mast.  Captain America should have never stepped in his path.

“You heard?” McGraw asked.  “I’m not going to stand for my men being fucked like this.”

“Your men?” Brad growled, getting in the Captain’s face.  “They’re _mine_.  My pack, my wolves.”  Brad’s teeth were bared.  “You fucked with the wrong Alpha.”

It was only too bad that not even Nate could figure out a way to snap his fingers and get Kocher back, or even placed under his command instead.  Their powers as Alphas only extended so far.

Brad felt sick to his stomach.

* * *

They had spent days running around the city from one neighborhood to the next, attempting to help out.  In the end, they did a whole lot of nothing.

They finally ended up in some stadium the Fedayeen was using as a staging area on what was to be their last night in Baghdad.  As the men were all relaxing, Nate was finishing up some final reports - with Mike hovering of course.

A pair of wolves caught Nate’s attention, a large timber wolf and an equally large tundra wolf.  They shifted in mid-stride as they approached, Patterson and Barrett smiling at him.  “Well we heard something interesting,” Barrett prompted.

“Oh?”  Nate smirked.

“Congratulations Nate,” Patterson said, offering his hand.

Nate grinned then.  Ignoring his hand, Nate stood, pressing their cheeks together and rubbing once.  “Thanks Bryan.”  Nate looked over at Barrett.  “Rich,” he acknowledged, rubbing their cheeks together next.

“Mind if we’re there?” Barrett asked.

“Course not.”  Nate looked between them.  “Told the pack about seventeen-hundred-hours.  Wanted to have all this paperwork out of the way, but…”

“If you’d actually do it,” Mike pointed out.

Nate sighed.  “Duty calls.”

“See you later then,” Patterson replied, both men shifting into their wolf forms as they headed back for Alpha’s position.

Mike shook his head as Nate sat next to him again.  “What?” Nate asked defensively.

Mike just pulled the paperwork out of his hands.  “Gimme that.  Like to be done with this sometime this year.”

Nate saw right through the gruffness.  Mike was just trying to be helpful, especially given Nate’s current distraction.

Looking out across the soccer field, Nate found Brad easily.  As though feeling eyes on him, Brad turned to look straight at him.  Brad smiled at him, Nate returning it.

A gentle shove from Mike had Nate returning to the task at hand.  The least he could do was help Mike with the stupid things.

* * *

Nate approached the gathering circle of men to whistles and good-natured jeering.  “Alright,” he feigned exasperation.  “Settle down.”  His grin gave him away.

The men parted and there in the center was Brad, waiting on him.  The circle closed back around him.  It appeared everyone from Bravo-2 was accounted for, along with Kocher - who had been returned to the company - and a bunch of the pack from Bravo-3.  Evan was there too, snapping pictures and looking about ready to cry, ignoring a taunt from Ray in the process.  Of course Patterson and Barrett were also present, matching grins on their faces they attempted to hide.

“You two are ridiculous,” Brad told them.

When Nate stepped closer though, Brad’s focus zeroed in on him instead.  A smile crawled up Brad’s face as he asked, “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”  Nate did feel a little nervous but the excitement overshadowed it.  He took off his jacket, tossing it blindly to the side.

Apparently Ray had caught it because the next thing he heard was, “Oh damn!  Does that mean I’m getting mated next?”

“Shut up Ray,” Walt chastised.

Nate laughed, shaking his head, while Brad attempted to hold it in.

Once he calmed down, Nate held out his left arm in offer.  There would be no flowery words, no vows - though Brad was crazy if he thought he was getting out of a proper wedding once they got back home - all that was required was a bite.  By werewolf standards, that was more than enough.

Brad’s jaw shifted slightly, elongating to drop his sharpened teeth.  They pierced into the back part of Nate’s forearm where they were apt to do less damage.  Even being quick about it, Nate let out a hiss through clenched teeth.  The bite was followed by a tongue, soothing away the burn.

Nate smiled at Brad before tugging him into a bruising kiss.  Around them, wolves howled.  He barely even noticed Doc cleaning and bandaging the fresh wound - all the while muttering about human healing - or Evan snapping pictures like crazy.

Nate was too busy savoring the moment.  When that bite was set, it was as though something inside Nate snapped into place.  It was the mating bond.

Brad pulled him closer and Nate drank it all in.

They were moving South of the city in the morning, and from there it would be home.  Something told Nate that his life was bound to never be boring again.  He supposed that’s what he got for mating with a werewolf and adopting a whole pack of Devildogs.

/End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope you all enjoyed this! As I noted in my BoB fic I posted last night, today starts NaNoWriMo so I'll be focusing on my novels. That said, don't expect much, if anything, from me for the rest of the month. Thanks for being understanding.
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


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